Effective.

Amazing is our God, amen? It’s been such an incredible week thus far, full of excitement for the last two weeks of this crazy ride I’ve been on. Every school I liken to one of Paul’s churches in the epistles, each with it’s own needs and challenges, fears and victories. Yesterday we were at Rossenberg and it stood out to me, however I find whenever I really invest into a school with prayer before I arrive, the fruits are always more memorable. After the 2nd show I sat at the end of the show Angel, a beautiful slender blonde, in an olive green pull over, little glasses, and her hair loosly pulled into a low ponytail, came up to me with moist eyes she said, “That show really affected me a lot. That’s my life. I have really low self esteem, I get picked on and made fun of all the time, because of how I look, and how I act. I hate it I am tired of always feeling wrong about myself…” I interrupted her, “What’s your name?” “Angel,” she said, “Well, Angel you are an Angel. That’s ridiculous! There is nothing wrong with you. You are so beautiful, do you know that? I’m so sorry people have lied to you about who you are.” She was struggling to keep her composure, “And I always break down if someone tries to hurt me or even when they compliment me, but today I’ve decided I am going to change, I’m not going to let others tell me how I need to be, I’m going to be like the guy talked about in the video, and not let other people tell me who I am. I’m going to be myself.” I was amazed that after seeing a one hour presentation, she was prepared to change not only how she responds to others, but also how she views herself on the inside. And I got to talk to her! After I finished my conversation, I went out of the auditorium into the green room to meet a large stack of spiral notebooks from the middle school group, the choir teacher had set them there for us to read, and tears welled up in my eyes as I began to read the responses of the kids to our show. Journal after journal things they would never say out loud, “I relate to this character because, I am bullied, I have problems with my dad and mom at home. I relate to the pressure this character felt, the pain this one experienced…I’m ignored, rejected, left out, hopeless, hurting…” Literal descriptions of what they felt and experienced, “My mom is in jail so I get picked on about that all the time, and I have no friends…” Then the thing that really surprised me was what else they wrote. “What the Janitor [our “Jesus” character in the show, who sees everything they go through, and gives “God advice”] said was really good advice, I want to just be myself and not let other people tell me how I need to be…I want to try harder but not get pressured by other people and situations to do well, like the jock. I want to be more careful about what I say to other people and not hurt them anymore. I realized when I was watching the guy at the end, that I can make a difference…” It blew my mind! It was like everything we hope would come out of the show, how we would want the kids to respond was there on paper. They asked questions of themselves and why things had evolved in there lives the way they had. What a gift for me to get to peer into their inner hearts. I love what I do folks, and it’s making a powerful impact on this generation!! Last week alone four school shootings occurred in the United States in Northern Illinois, Southern California, Memphis Tennessee, and Baton Rouge Louisiana. The effect it had on our team is somewhat different than the general public, because this is why we do what we do. I grieve and am still in mourning for the ones who lost their lives and even more the families who are missing pieces of their hearts. Being in this show and part of this ministry causes you to totally return to sensitivity about these issues, where so often we are numb to the violent and Godless events of our day. Yet, we scream with our lives, you can not ignore these terrible atrocities, right on our public schools!!! I used to think I was the only one who really sobbed at night for these people, the only young girl still in early teens, who was desperate when I saw the papers and the news as shootings became more and more common place. Ever since Columbine happened I knew I would do something to stop it, someday. I had no idea it would involve the arts, or New York, but ever since that awful day, I followed the school shooting stats, and longed to see a change, and now I am the change with my team and yesterday we were invited to the National Bullying Convention to be held in Indianapolis Indiana in November!! This is a big deal!!! I am so excited to be part of this!! 
 
Last night we had an incredible and tearful time of thanksgiving prayer reading scripture, praising the Lord, and recognizing all He fulfilled and surprised us with, for all His grace and abundant blessings on our team and in our family style relationships, I am so Blessed by all I have gained from these 40 people who have become part of my life forever whether I see them again or not, their names will always be written on my heart!! 
 
We now have only 4 more school days until we drive back to NY for a week of debriefing, and then off to Kansas city and Seattle!! I am sooo looking forward to seeing each of you and sharing more of what God has been up to over here!! And I can’t wait to catch up with you guys!! To all of you who have responded to my updates with encouragement and prayer requests thanks so much for keeping me in the loop, and valuing our relationship to the point of communication!!! Even in the midst of busy lives I am honored to be counted your friend and prayer support!! I love you all!! 
 
Phillipians 1 
3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 
 
 7It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 
 
 9And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. 
 
Because He is worthy, 
 
Breanna Noel Wilson 

“No Pain no Gain” The Bliss of Sacrifice

2/14/08

My wonderful community of the beloved!!

We are still in great need of physical healing with many dancers still recovering from major fevers and injuries. That is the main note of need!! No sooner did I send the last update then another sweep of illness ensued!

Last night as we were on our 3 hour drive to Brown County IN, I was thinking about all that I have acquired and cultivated over the past months in YWAM, and I think there are a couple of key things I would like to share.

Pain is gain, and It’s all about character and intimacy!!

Ministry is often so much more about building you, and breaking you not always “the others”, the unreached. We think we are heroes when we sign up for the church mission trip, or give a year of our lives to consecrate unto the Lord, and while the above may be noble, and bursting with good intensions maybe it’s just not nearly as heroic as we would think. When my flesh is stretched beyond the first few weeks of honeymoon excitement, and the blood of suffering begins to flow along with the sufferings of Christ Jesus, when I am out of new ideas for approach, and intimacy levels seem to be firmly set with all those who were such a mystery in the beginning, and the kids problems are still there, and still just as hopeless as every school stop—you see it’s here that real “ministry” begins. All my self-centered motives are exposed and o-so-short in their delivery. I find that here is where I am broken and the Lord experiences the fragrance which never could be bought, or found in the beginning of my advance into his character. Until I am at the end of me, He is not permitted to really move. If I am ministering from my shinning veneer of perfection of my own pretense, He is not glorified or pleased. Self-aggrandizement is the enemy of intimate experience in the knowledge of God and the treasures to be found with in dependency!

He is not interested in using my ability to “act” loving, gentle, and full of mercy, He wants me to dig deep into himself to access his beauty—his nature, and then truly produce these attitudes in my ministry, a product of my intimacy with Him alone. I find that so many among my generation’s elite Christian members are so desperately attracted to adventure (and rightfully so, who wants to be bored?) but so few yearn for sacrifice. What if it has to be both? Is that impossible and absurd? Not according to Paul, “I want to know Christ and…the fellowship of sharing in his suffering, becoming like him in his death…”Philippians 3:10 They run after the prize not expecting to pay any hard price. I am starting to see that true intimacy requires sacrifice, suffering, and pain. Jesus suffered daily on behalf of this shattered place we live in called sin and death. To be near him I cannot stay on the quiet surface, I must dive with him to the depths of the darkness and pain of even my own depravity and see it for what it is, I must run with him into the eye of the storm. Ministry is unto intimacy, work is unto intimacy, everything is…all for the Love and relationship with Jesus! And I also am finding out about the long haul. I know I am young, and I know very little of what it takes to make a marriage work in our day, but I’m fairly sure that I would be hard pressed to find a espoused team that is effective and powerful that hasn’t weathered some hard storms together. We need stormy weather to test our sails. We need the test. I still hate, and chafe at the harness of it, just like any untamed mare would early on in her training— yet I am thankful, yet I am aware—that the Lord is working in me through “this momentary light affliction an eternal weight of glory” 2 Corinthians 4:17that can not be taken or faded by the light of this fading world. I am wounded by this image in my spirit of waiting in the place of suffering—bleeding for me, is the man on the cross, full of joy at the thought of the chance—the coming moment when he can pursue my heart in his fire and flood of passion. “Our God is an all consuming fire”. Deut 4:24 “Who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning it’s shame…” Hebrews 12:2 The pain in the midst of our giving is what contributes the value to our gift, makes it real, and “I will not give to the Lord that which costs me nothing.”1Chronicles 21:24 I think that after a two week missions trip you learn a lot about where you are spiritually, and some about where you need to go from there to achieve growth, but when you step out for months and years at a time, your heart must move into deep need for Jesus, or you’re running on a false motor that will eventually (most likely quickly) burn out. We must lose our way, fall apart, run out, and finally be born again, in Christ. “Chirst in me, Christ in me [through, around, inside, consuming]me, the HOPE of Glory!!” Col 1:27

I don’t think it is a total coincidence that I am contemplating these things on Valentine’s Day. How he longs to have my whole heart, and so slow I am to learn how to really give it! But I think that the more I give up and ask him for the small things, like the grace for the next moment, the next interaction with that somewhat tricky person to relate to, the next show that I have no strength to produce energy for, the more he is delighted to come and show me how he loves me, even deeper than I even knew was possible in my mighty revelations of his calling on my life. Paper thin are my old beliefs of his ability, they fall to the ground in awe of his next move! I love and am desolated by these discoveries, let me run with you Lord in the suffering and in the adventure that following you brings!!

In other news: Value your precious family!!! My mom Jacqueline and three siblings were in a major car accident last Friday with an 18 wheeler, the kids thought that my mom had died in the crash directly after the impact since she didn’t respond quickly, she finally came to, and wasn’t lucid because of a concussion. It was very traumatic for everyone involved, but by God’s amazing grace and sovereign intervention no one was permanently injured and they are all recovering well with bruises, a sprain, and 4 stitches among the minor repercussions. I am more aware than ever of my love for them, and longing to be with them!! My family holds my heart forever!! Praise the Lord for his power to save!! “Our God is a God who saves; from the sovereign Lord comes escapes from death.” Psalm 68:20

We only have about 10 days of being in the schools left to go, so praise the Lord and let Him be glorified among these last several schools who have not yet heard our message or been exposed to the Christian friendship we live with everyday. May we be worthy of the gospel of Jesus, walk in a way that is wise, and encouraging one another—win many to the Lord!

I love you all and I will try to get a chance to update once more before I head back to NY for debriefing. Blessings to you and Grace from the master!!!

Well, that was a bit of a long one, but I am simply fascinated by his goodness and can’t help but tell you of it!! It won’t be long till I can convey my joy to you in person!! March 12^th Here I come!